A balcony at 60B Village Road, a collection of apartments at Hillside Village in Tisbury, is under repair after the Tisbury Building Department looked into its condition in October.
Island Elderly Housing maintenance director Greg Monka told The Times in October he planned to address the balcony problem in “10 days to two weeks.” Tisbury Building Department records show Monka received a building permit on Nov. 20; however, work does not appear to have begun until January.
Repair work on multiple balconies was underway Wednesday. Charles Stutler Construction is listed as the contractor on the building permit. Monka and Island Elderly Housing executive director Dorothy Young could not be immediately reached for comment on the work. Young did not return numerous calls about the balcony in October.
Tisbury building inspector Ken Barwick said it appears lack of maintenance led to the rotten condition of the balcony. Barwick said he advised Hillside Village to either barricade or lock the balcony door until the balcony could be repaired. In addition to the support, he said the railing was also decayed. He did not comment on the additional balcony work going on there, and recommended speaking with Monka.
And what, may I ask, is this article accomplishing? Rich Saltzberg, are you attempting to create problems where there aren’t any? Are you doing anything to help along the process of reconstruction? Are you reporting news or are you upset about construction taking a whole month longer to get going than you would have liked? Seems to me, and probably to everyone else, that there are positive changes going on here and repairs are being made. Where there is rot you can see, there is probably rot you cannot (which may answer your deep dying question about “additional balcony work”). It also seems to me that “barricading or locking the balcony door until the balcony could be repaired” is a pretty intelligent idea considering the circumstances. May I also remind everyone that it is January, and utilization of said balconies is probably at an annual low.
Let’s start reporting some actual NEWS here, not casting a net and praying to God for some content to fill the pages. Thank you to the people who are doing repair work on these homes. If you aren’t part of the solution, you’re a part of the problem. Grab a hammer, Rich.
In fairness, this work wouldn’t have gotten reported to the proper authorities without Rich’s earlier reporting. People living in the housing said they had been ignored on that, as well as some flooding that occurs.
I think any actions by our taxpayer funded public officials ought to be scrutinized and reported in these pages (computer screens) no matter how inconsequential they may seem to some. Yes, it would be my wish for something more exciting like endemic police corruption but this is January and rotten balconies may be the best we can do.
Keep up the good work, Rich.